Burden Lake Speedway started out running the infamous roadster cars and switched over to stock cars by around 1951. Actually, both types ran together in the earlier days. The track achieved infamy , early on, when LIFE magazine featured a photo of an errant wheel flying through picnickers, who were watching the races on the track grounds. The track layout was an oddball, going well uphill in some areas and into dips in other portions. Bud Russell, who about grew up at the track, said the pond in the infield would occasionally run over onto one of the lower portions of the track. Oh well, they ran the races any way. Extremely heavily oiled, the track was just evil to negotiate in the rain [and they sometimes ran in the rain].

       Begun around 1948, the track was pretty well done by 1955. One driver, Jimmy Bedell, was champion five times - beginning with the roadsters and finishing with full body stock cars. Early roadster stars included Bedell, Jimmy Cox, Bob Hackel, Irv Sewell, Howie Westervelt, and Del Moak - to name a few. In the stock car era, dominant drivers would come and go. The track really emphasized the female powder puff drivers. Sometimes, a male driver and his wife would win in the same race program.

      My website [this website] will have a much more comprehensive history of the track, one of the  truly important and seminal tracks in New York.

The Roaring Roadsters

Courtesy of Ken Gypson
A driver's group photo from right around 1950. Joe Izzo, Bob Hackel, and George Gowie are id'd. Jim Bedell is likely there, too.
Len Noreen is the furthest to the left [legs crossed] and Gordon Justus is in the middle of the back row.

Hackel Family Collection Bob "Buzz" Hackel	Source Unknown Maybe Dan Ody No helmet, no goggles, no nuthin ! Irv Sewell takes a victory lap in 1949.	Courtesy of Ken Gypson Howie Westervelt [left] poses with Hackel and his Roadster. He would go on, in 1961 to have the most dominating season in the history of Leb. Valley.	Courtesy of Jay Mooney Nassau, NY's Bob Hart - in 1950.
Courtesy of Dan Ody A roadster race takes off around 1949 at what looks to be a sparsely - attended race. The pond does not seem to be visible in this shot.	Troy Times Record This old newspaper photo makes for a dramatic silhouette shot of Ernie Palmer's roadster in the inside.	Dirt Track Digest Del Moak's well - traveled roadster, the Deep 6 leads the way around 1949.	Courtesy of Dan Ody Roadster #1 takes off ahead of Del Moak.
Courtesy of Dan Ody Roadster field going into turn 2.	Troy Record Early star Jim Bedell takes his roadster with the familar number 77 into the lead. Jim Cox [12] is second and the 7 of Bob Hackel is coming up.	Courtesy of Dan Ody A good look at the track in the late 1940's - possibly during a dry summer [no pond].	Courtesy of Joe Grossetti These roadsters at Clearview Speedway are very likely the same as what was running at BUrden Lake. The white car in 2nd is Howie Westervelt.
Troy Record Ernie Palmer, in the Jim Bedell roadster.	Troy Record Leading roadster star Bob Hackel.	Troy Record Despite the fact this is a 1949 photo, there is nary a roadster in sight.	Troy Record The Troy Record took a while to get Howie Westervelt's name right. Here it's his roadster versus a stock car.

Courtesy of Sam Barlow
These Garstang Garage roadsters were photographed at the Perth, NY track, but it is more than likely Harold
also fielded them at his own track, Burden Lake.

Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding Future legendary NY car builder and owner Bob Whitbeck, driving his own roadster.	Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding This roadster is identified as the Ramp Motors #7.	Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding This roadster is simply identified as the #1.	Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding This roadster is simply identified as the #4.
Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding Huck identifed this roadster as simply identified as  the Galloping Ghost.  I think it is Jim Bedell's.	Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding Future legendary NY car builder and owner Bob Whitbeck's roadster - with Huck Spaulding.	Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding Roadsters lining up on the backstretch at Burden Lake.	Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding No. 3 roadster at speed on the backstretch at Burden Lake.

Huck Spaulding Collection via Tom Spaulding
Jim Bedell's roadster at speed up on the backstretch at Burden Lake.

The Stock Cars Take Over

Courtesy of Dan Ody
Jim Bedell's 77 passes by under caution.

Dirt Track Digest Henri Bouchard's J5 is at left, and I think the car at far right is Boy Sousis.	Dirt Track Digest This early color shot really shows both the uneven track and also the heavy oiling .	Courtesy of Dan Ody A good look at the field in turn three and four. Bedell is 3rd on the inside and Sousis appears to be ahead on the outside. The car in 2nd is a track car of sorts, put together by the Russells.	Courtesy of Dan Ody A great shot of a full field. The infamous spectator picnic area is seen above.
Courtesy of Bud Russell The tumbling 39 is said to be one of the cars Earl Russell built to bolster the fields at Burden Lake. I think it is shown below as #13.	Courtesy of Dan Ody A close look at a tangle beginning to happen.	Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record Ed Canfield does his best to plow Don Cooper out of the way in an early 1951 race.	Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record Defreestville's George Gowie [rt] with partner Art Dell. Gowie seems to have alway run stock cars. This is 1950.
Courtesy of Bud Russell Mrs. Lillian Russell was a leading powder puffer at the track. The car was another Earle Russell creation.	Courtesy of Bud Russell The first Earl Russell - built car for BLS, with Earl in it at Sturm's Calso station.	Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record An indistict 1950 newspaper photo of a stock car crash.	Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record Car 90 is pretty clear in this, another crash photo captured by the Troy Record's intrepid photographer, Baxter.

Courtesy of Ken Gypson 
Frequent winner Lou Hacker, whose wife also won often in this orange
and black car. This photo is specifically at Burden Lake.

Courtesy of Ken Gypson An early Harvey 62 team with driver, a young Carl FInk. This is also taken at BLS.	Courtesy of Tom McCarty The popular and legendary Henri Bouchard's Hudson arriving at Burden Lake.	Courtesy of Ken Gypson Once Howie Westervelt went over to stock cars, this was his ride. The photo is at the Hollywood Speedway, but is likkely hhis BLS car.	Courtesy of Ken Gypson Car 13 is steaming up a storm here. Between the mud and the oil at BLS, cars overheated with great regularity. This may be that Russell - built 39 shown above rolling.
Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record Car 50 is Jack Sweeney. BUck Radley, a neighbor of Stretch Van Steenberg from Coeymans Hollow is wrecking his #99.	Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record A July 1951 wreck photo. Baxte took a ton of these in 1951 for the Troy Record.	Source Unknown Supposedly a photo iof spectator cars lined up along BLS. With it could be larger - their cars are priceless.	Courtesy of Dan Ody A smoker coming out of 4.
Courtesy of Ken Gypson Driver John ? and flagger Bernie ?	Courtesy of Ken Gypson Gypson thinks this might be Henry Ackner. Is he Don Ackner's father ?	Courtesy of Dan Gowie Dan Gowie says his father, George is in this field of cars somewhere.	Courtesy of Tom McCarty Another shot of the popular and legendary Henri Bouchard's Hudson arriving at Burden Lake.

 
Courtesy of Dan Ody
This panoramic shot deserves a bigger spread. I'd love to have someone name all of these. There appears to more than one Bedell car.

Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record A Sayles Casey crash in 1951. Slim Rockenstire is 66. Baxter didn't have time to get the light just right here.	Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record That one left a mark on poor old 12A.	Courtesy of Ken Gypson A nearly unbeatable legend at nearby Route 66 Speedway, Boy Sousis takes his B22 to the bottom at BLS.	Courtesy of Dan Gowie A shot of cars sitting in a lineup on the frontstretch. George Gowie is in there, as it Jim Bedell.
Baxter Photo  Troy Times Record A messy wreck involving Bill Sansone, who was sometimes mysteriously identified as being from Burlington, VT. It doesn't seem likely. In the background is an overturned Garstang Garage entry.	Bob Bearer Photo via Bob Sharp  A man named Bob Bearer, from Chittenden, VT near Killington Mt.] took two photos of a very early Burden Lake.	Bob Bearer Photo via Bob Sharp  The second Bob Bearer photo.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  A turn ftwo shunt, as the British would call it.
Courtesy of McCarty Family  A look right after a rain.	Courtesy of Ken Gypson  A little girl poses by the car 13 that is shown above steaming. The ad behind her is the same exact one as on the car 39 shown flikpping above.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  Dan Ody thought this was Burden Lake.	Courtesy of Sam Berlow  Bill Webb or more likely Jim Bedell in a lineup behind someone's Hudson.

Courtesy of McCarty Family 
A parade of continuation right after a rain. Somebody in that family had a nice color camera.

Courtesy of Dan Ody  Car X comes out of 4.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  A field barrels down out of two. I believe the inside leader to be Johnny Kettel.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  Hanging it out kinda close to the fence.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  Off, into turn three.
Courtesy of Dan Ody  Car 9 is spinning here.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  Gawd, this X looks familiar ! Anyone help ?	Courtesy of Davis Family  The famed model builders from Cavendish, VT, Neal and Rob Davis think this is BLS.	Courtesy of Dan Ody  A lot of action up in twobefore they all head downhill.

Photo Probably by Baxter, of the Troy Record. From LIFE Magazine
The infamous flying wheel through the picnic area photo seen nationally.

The Powder Puffers

Troy Record Photo by Baxter
This photo is the only one we have of Harold Garstang.Sonya Sieger was a leading female driver; but she found out that Lillian Russell would not
put up with being dumped on purpose. It was explained to her by hand.

Troy Record Photo These women raced against rather famous female drivers like Jane Hacker.

Troy Record Photo It didn't hurt Lillian's publicity exposure at all to have a husband. Earl Russell's partner's wife, Louis Van Slyke also drove.

Courtesy of Bud Russell Lllian "Lee" Russell, whose husband was once partner in the track, sits in Slim and Fred Rockenstine's car. Below - Jane Hacker.

Troy Record Photo by Baxter The famous Orietta Behrens had her day in the sun at Burden Lake. Powder puff rcing  was a huge thing in the early '50's. Vermont's track in Northfield had two racing grandmothers. The woman with Behrens is Jane Hacker, arguably New York's best powder puff driver ever.

The 1952 Ads

     Burden Lake Speedway started out with Harold Garstang as the primary owner - in partnership with the owner of the property.Garstang departed after the 1951 season due to a tempestuous argument over rights to the beer shack [perhaps the most lucrative part of most 1950's tracks. The new promoters, Van Slyke and Russell proceeded to put out some of the largest and best - composed advertisements iin the Troy Record that I have ever seen. These wonderful ads were only in 1952.

Troy Record Adv. This first ad was not necesssarily the first in the series, These are not in chronological order.	Troy Record Adv. This one is about the infamous LIFE magazine photo of the wheel flying through the track's spectator picnic area.	Troy Record Adv. About a "wreck'em race".	Troy Record Adv. Powder Puffers and more.
Troy Record Adv. First ad about the female drivers.	Troy Record Adv. About the female drivers being hit by rain.	Troy Record Adv. About the female drivers breaking stereotypes in the conservative '50's.	Troy Record Adv. I bet this one got a little attention at the breakfast table.
Troy Record Adv. I don't really get the title on this one.	Troy Record Adv. A short one.	Troy Record Adv. Another short one about the cooler Fall weather.	Troy Record Adv. More about the female drivers being hit by rain.

 
Troy Record Adv.
Covers many topics. Too large to fit in the table above.

Vestiges, Ruins, and Remnants

     Burden Lake Speedway was like a superfund disaster waste site. They poured uncountable thousands of gallons of used oil on the uneven oval - over the life of the track. You would think the track surface, as oily as it was would have never allowed vegetation growth of any kind for the remainder of the planet's life. Yet, it did grow in. We have a few photos - aerial and otherwise, of what is left.

 
Historical Aerials.com
This is from 1952, when the track was in full operation - oil and all.

 
Courtesy of Dan Ody
This view is from 1954.

 
Dirt Track Digest
A recent aerial shot. Amazingly, it is quite grown in.

Courtesy of Mary Kainer

Troy Record Clippings

     Burden Lake Speedway was well supported by the local Troy paper. I have tons of clippings on the track - mostly from 1950 through 1954.
I will put out a couple of clippings per year that seem the most interesting or most representative of that year.

1949	Troy Record The track apparently did not get publicity going until late. This August clipping is the earliest I could find.	Troy Record The track got going late and even ran one in November. This clipping was September.	1950	Troy Record The 1950 season saw many more entrants in the field compared to the earlier year.	Troy Record The track had to put up with state police crackdowns both in 1950 and 51. The town was very supportive.
1951	Troy Record Dan Tag was one driver who was hot in the earlier part of the season.	Troy Record This was another hot year for Jim Bedell, as well. 1951 was also a year for new faces to make it into results lists.	1952	Troy Record Wachtel would run at the track all year. The article names many of the new names who played major roles, not the least of which was Lou Hacker.	Troy Record This shows leading names for 1952. Ed Canfield, as track manager is because Harold Garstang had left and started Rte 66 Speedway, only a few miles away.
1953	Bennington Evening Banner New ownership from a group many of which were already key in running the place after the departure of Garstang.	Troy Record Burden Lake would have to be aggressive to compete with two tracks within mere minutes of it.	1954	Troy Record Often, both Lou Hacker and wife, Jane would win their features in the same program.	Troy Record This article announcing a two - day Labor Day program shows some of the drivers who starred in 1954: Carl Tabor, Bob Fredette, George Gowie, and the Hackers. The track closed after 1954.